Thomas and the Ghost Engine
by DonaldDouglasandToby6
Summary: This is my brand new Halloween special. Rated T because dark. Edward tells the tale of a ghost who exploded in a fire, which gets the engines spooked., particularly Henry. Trying to prove he is brave, he sets out with the Flying Kipper, but he soon sees a ghost engine on the Main Line. Thomas, after hearing of the incident, is determined to get to get to the bottom of it.
1. The Story of Jasper

It was nearing Halloween on the Island of Sodor, and the engines both dreaded and loved this time of year.

Children dressed up in costumes, the Earl often made a special Halloween party at Ulfstead Castle, and decorations were set up at the stations, which made the engines excited.

But what made them scared was the stories.

Many engines told stories around this time of year; from Salty at Brendam Docks to Toby at Ffarquhar to Duke on the Skarloey Railway, engines had a story to hear.

One such engine was Edward, as he puffed onto the turntable of Tidmouth Sheds.

"It was a busy day today," he panted, "So many shipments from Brendam Docks to help prepare for the Earl's party!"

"Well, it's not so bad," said Percy, "At least we get to have fireworks!"

Henry's boiler quivered.

"Right...fireworks."

"What are you so scared of Henry?" teased James.

"...n-nothing." Henry stuttered, though secretly he was scared someone might tell a spooky story.

"Oh, speaking of being scared... Doesn't anyone have a good story to tell? Something to prepare for the midnight express." said Gordon with a hint of superiority.

Edward suddenly remembered something as he backed down into his berth.

"That does remind me of a story... Though it's not exactly a happy one."

"Tell us!" chuffed Emily enthusiastically.

The other engines murmured in agreement, all except for Henry.

He sighed as he puffed further into his shed, not wanting to be noticed.

Edward let out a sad sigh.

"He was a nice engine... Confident... Navy blue paint..."

* * *

Edward watched as a blue Beattie "0298" Class Well Tank 30585 was lifted down onto the tracks.

"Hello there," the old engine smiled, "You must be the engine on loan from the mainland."

The blue tank engine looked around warily, taking in his surroundings.

"Well...yes. Yes I am... I'm Jasper... You are?"

"I'm Edward. Pleasure to meet you. I'm assuming Sir Topham Hatt's already told you what you're going to be doing."

"Well yes. I'm supposed to take care of gunpowder trains to take back home. I've got it handled... I'm experienced." Jasper said.

"Are you sure...?" Edward asked.

Jasper scoffed.

"Just watch me. You big engines worry over nothing."

Edward wasn't sure, but puffed away, hoping that Jasper would be alright.

Later that day, Jasper puffed into Tidmouth Station to collect a train of gunpowder.

Jason was there, taking on water for his next run along the Main Line.

He looked over to find Jasper being coupled up.

"I sure do hope you know what happens when you mess with gunpowder... You do know, don't you?" Jason asked worriedly.

"Sure. It'll blow me up to pieces. I understand completely," snorted Jasper, "I'm used to this sort of work."

Jason winced.

"Alright...if you say so..."

The guard blew his whistle and Jasper took off in a huff.

Soon, Jasper was on his way to the Mainland.

He was nearing Vicarstown when he saw an engine similar to Jason puffing down the other way.

The engine whistled as he scurried past.

"Hello!" called Robert, Jason's best friend as he puffed away, into the distance.

Jasper scoffed and started towards a siding, where he would refill on water and coal.

He grunted as he tried to brake, so he wouldn't smash into the buffers.

Sparks flew from Jasper's brakes, which unknowingly had alighted the gunpowder weapons.

As he screeched to a halt, he sighed with relief.

"Now let's just fill up on water and we'll be-"

Before Jasper could finish, the gunpowder exploded from the flames, and engulfed the surrounding area, including Jasper and his crew.

An hour later, Edward was carrying the Fat Director as he puffed with Jerome and Judy to the scene of the accident.

"Are you sure he's alright?" asked Judy.

"We don't like lifting scrap metal," added Jerome, "It's always...awful."

Edward cringed.

"Unfortunately you two, I don't think Jasper...survived the explosion..."

Jerome and Judy immediately went silent.

Edward puffed up to the scene, and immediately braked.

He stared at the twisted metal as tears started to well up in his eyes.

"I... tried to warn him sir..."

"It wasn't your fault, Edward. Don't blame yourself," said the Fat Director, although he himself was very sad indeed.

Jerome and Judy reluctantly started to clear the mess as Edward and the Fat Director stared at what was left of Jasper, the surrounding tracks and water tower, and the gunpowder wagons.

* * *

"And since then, his ghost is said to haunt the rails. I saw him once or twice..." Edward sighed.

Tidmouth Sheds was quiet... all except for James.

He had been sleeping the entire time and hadn't listened at all.

Percy noticed this and blew his whistle to wake him up.

"James!"

James instantly awoke, his eyes darting in all directions.

"You missed the whole story!" Percy cried angrily.

"Oh... It was probably boring anyways..."

No-one said a word. An eerie silence followed.

Eventually, Henry whimpered, breaking the silence.

"I have to take the Flying Kipper tonight! How shall I take it after being reminded of that terror?"

James snickered.

"Ya scared, Henry?"

The green engine glared and immediately grew defensive.

"I am not! I'm not scared of a...real ghost..."

"Good! Then take the Flying Kipper!" grinned James.

"Fine, I will," snorted Henry as he puffed out of the shed.

The other engines were worried, but said nothing as Henry steamed out of sight.

At Brendam Docks, Cranky was unloading the fish from the fishing boats to be put into the vans of The Flying Kipper.

Henry arrived, looking very worried indeed.

"There you are, Henry! Hurry up now. The vans are almost filled," said Porter as he puffed beside him.

Henry gulped as he backed down onto the vans.

"Porter, have you seen any... ghosts around here?" the green engine asked.

Porter rose an eyebrow.

"Ghosts? Not usually no. I've heard some silly stories about them a few times but nothing actually real."

Cranky snickered.

"What's this about ghosts? You being a scaredy engine, Henry?"

"No!" snorted Henry indignantly, "Just...being careful, that's all."

"Sure..."

"What are so you scared of, Henry? And what's with all this 'ghost' talk?" asked Porter worriedly.

Henry sighed.

"Well, Edward told a ghost story at Tidmouth Sheds that was actually real... I'm worried that tank engine will come after me..."

"Henry, Edward tells stories all the time. It's like when Salty tells a story; don't take them too seriously." Porter replied, "Water off a duck's back, after all!"

Henry was a bit unsure, but wanted to trust his friend Porter.

The fish was soon loaded, and Henry set off into the night.

"Don't run into any ghost engines!" laughed Cranky.

"Cranky!" cried Porter.

"What?"

Henry chuffed along the Main Line, delivering the fresh fish to the stations.

He kept an eye out for any signs of a ghost engine.

"I sure do hope Porter was right," he said worriedly.

A whistle blasted in the distance, and it was one Henry had never heard of before.

He gasped.

"It's Jasper!"

And Henry raced away as fast as his wheels could carry him.

At Maron Station, BoCo was dropping off some supplies for the town when Henry braked alongside him.

"Hello Henry," said BoCo, and he noticed Henry's expression.

"Everything alright...?"

Henry's face was pale.

"I heard a ghostly whistle, BoCo..."

"A whistle?" asked BoCo in confusion.

"Yes... And it wasn't one I've ever heard before..."

"Maybe you were just imagining it, Henry," BoCo said gently, "Things can happen at nighttime."

Henry was becoming very scared, and didn't think BoCo was right; all doubts in his mind were gone.

"No BoCo, you misunderstand me. There's a strange ghost roaming the rails... It might come after me!"

BoCo was now heavily confused.

"A...ghost?"

Before Henry could explain what was going on, the guard blew his whistle and Henry puffed away urgently.

"Hmm... Something strange _is_ going on..." BoCo murmured.

Soon, Henry was out in the countryside again.

He looked up at the moonlit night, as owls hooted past and stars twinkled.

But Henry didn't care about the beauty of the night; he was more concerned about Jasper's ghost.

"Hello?" Henry shouted into the darkness.

No voice answered.

His driver sighed.

"Henry, I think you're being a little too paranoid. I'd be frightened too but you still have to carry on with your work."

Another whistled blasted, and it was the same one from before.

Henry instantly braked.

"What was that?!"

He looked around, trying to find a sign that a ghost wasn't there.

Then Henry heard puffing.

"Who's that?! There's no other night trains!" Henry burst out.

He shut his eyes tightly, hoping the ghost would go away.

"Is...is it gone?"

Henry opened an eye slowly, to only gasp in horror.

Standing right in front of him was the ghost of Jasper.

His eyes glared with hatred for anything it saw, and felt like it was staring daggers into Henry.

"Aaahhh!" Henry cried as he reversed from the ghost.

The ghost blew his whistle and disappeared.

In Tidmouth Sheds, the engines were all talking about the upcoming party at Ulfstead, to keep their minds off of Edward's story.

"I hear Stephen and Millie will be dressed up as ghost engines!" said Emily, "It sounds so exciting!"

"I like the fireworks," put in Gordon, "Especially the blue ones. Majestic, proud, and grand. Like me."

"Of course..." muttered Emily.

"And I like all the decorations," Edward said.

Henry screamed as he raced into the yard.

"Henry...?" asked Emily in confusion.

"The ghost engine! It's Jasper!" the green engine wailed as he scurried onto the turntable and in his berth.

"Um...you're blocking the turntable. I have to collect the midnight express..." said Gordon huffily.

"I don't care about that, Gordon! There's a very scary ghost engine out there!"

"A ghost engine?!" shouted Percy in fear.

"What ghost engine?" asked Emily.

"There was a loud whistle, and then this engine appeared in front of me! The one from Edward's story!" Henry said anxiously.

"You were probably just dreaming," snorted James, "Ghosts don't exist..."

"That engine you saw on the Viaduct sure was real..." retorted Henry.

James' face paled.

"...oh."

"Still, perhaps both accounts were hallucinations," suggested Gordon.

"I saw it, I swear!" pleaded Henry.

"...are you sure?" asked Percy worriedly.

"Yes!"

An eerie silence fell over the sheds.

The engines looked to each other in a worried manner, except Gordon, who didn't care, and Edward.

Eventually, Emily spoke up.

"...either way, you should still deliver the fish," she said slowly, "The Fat Controller will be cross if you don't."

"...oh...right..." and Henry reversed, gulping quietly, "I better not see that thing again..."

"...you think he actually saw something?" whispered Percy.

"I don't think so," scoffed Gordon, "Engines these days..."

And he started to puff away to collect the midnight express.

Edward, however, remained very silent.

Emily couldn't help but notice this.

"...everything alright, Edward?"

Edward was pulled from his thoughts.

"Oh. u-um... I'm fine... I'm... going to go sleep at Wellsworth..."

And Edward steamed away across the turntable.

This time, every engine was worried, even Gordon.


	2. Percy's Encounter

The next morning, Thomas came to a halt at Dryaw Station.

"How was that run, Annie and Clarabel?" the tank engine asked proudly.

"Very good," replied Clarabel, "Although a bit fast..."

Thomas chuckled.

"Well, obviously you'd say that..."

Percy puffed in at the other platform with a goods run, looking worried.

Thomas frowned.

"What's wrong, Percy?"

Percy looked up as he braked.

"Oh... Um... Henry... saw a ghost with the Flying Kipper last night..."

Thomas looked confused.

"Are you sure he did? He has a tendency to see things that aren't there."

"I'm positive. He looked pale, and described the engine as a tank engine from one of Edward's stories; apparently he's called Jasper." Percy explained, "It's making me a bit worried..."

Thomas thought for a moment.

"Hmm... Maybe I'll talk to Toby later about it, if that makes you feel any better."

Percy gave a small smile.

"Thanks Thomas."

Clarabel's guard blew the whistle and Thomas set off for the next station.

As Thomas puffed along, Annie and Clarabel spoke up.

"You know, Thomas, I don't quite believe this 'ghost' business," said Annie.

"Neither do I," murmured Clarabel, "And honestly, neither should you. It'll only cause trouble."

Thomas sighed.

"Maybe the ghost does exist. Edward and Henry _are_ honest engines, after all..."

Annie and Clarabel were not convinced though as Thomas puffed into the distance.

Later, Thomas puffed into Ffarquhar, finishing his run.

He looked over, seeing Toby shunting some empty trucks that were due for the quarry.

"Toby? Excuse me?" Thomas called.

Toby looked up and rang his bell.

"Greetings, Thomas! What do you need?"

"Well... Henry saw a ghost on the Main Line, and it's almost Halloween... Should we be worried?"

Toby frowned; he had had this sort of thing happen before, when his brother Jeff spooked James on the Viaduct. Oddly enough, Jeff hadn't appeared much since.

"That depends, I suppose. We'll have to see if it pops up again to be sure this isn't some sort of hallucination." the tram engine said thoughtfully.

Thomas sighed.

"I suppose so Toby..."

"Well, I have to take these trucks to Mavis now. I'll see you later." Toby said as he backed out of the yard with his trucks.

Thomas couldn't help worrying about the situation; what if the ghost appeared more often? What if it crept on him during one of his evening trains? What if Percy saw the ghost during the mail run? These thoughts were a bit disturbing to him.

Night came, and all the engines of the Ffarquhar Branch were cozy in their sheds.

"I'm glad I don't have to go out tonight," shivered Daisy, "It's cold. It's bad for my swerves."

Toby rolled his eyes.

But Percy was very worried indeed.

"Thomas... Can you take the mail train for me? Just for tonight? I don't think I can face Jasper," the little engine whispered.

Thomas sighed, trying to word his thoughts in a way that didn't sound like he was just trying to get Percy to keep quiet.

"Percy, you know I can't. I have one more run with my coaches before heading off to sleep. Besides, maybe Jasper doesn't exist after all."

Percy looked a bit doubtful.

"I hope you're right..."

The little engine whistled as he slowly puffed into the night, to collect his trucks from the yard.

"What's up with Percy?" Daisy noted, "He seems... disorientated, to say the least."

Thomas and Toby looked to each other with a worried look.

Percy arrived at Tidmouth Yards, looking quite paranoid.

"Where is he...? Where is he...?!" he whispered.

"Who's 'he'?" came a voice.

Percy jumped off the rails and screamed.

"It's Jasper!"

"Jasper? No Percy; it's me. Stafford."

Percy looked back to find Stafford, smiling to calm him down, shunting his mail trucks.

"Oh..."

"What's wrong, Percy?" Stafford asked, "You're a bit jumpy."

Percy gulped as the shunter fastened the coupling.

"Oh, um... It's nothing."

Stafford rose an eyebrow; he didn't quite believe that.

"You sure...?"

"Yes," Percy said quickly.

The little green engine whistled and hurried off to Tidmouth, too embarrassed to explain his fear to Stafford.

Stafford blinked and frowned; something was not quite right with Percy.

Percy puffed into Tidmouth, and soon, the mail was loaded.

He got more and more worried and almost raced away in fear as the guard blew his whistle to signal that the train could leave.

"Alright, I'm going," gulped Percy as he steamed out of the station.

Soon, Percy was racing down the Main Line.

He looked left to right, up and down, east west to northwest, trying to find a sign of the ghost engine.

"I think you're being a bit too paranoid, Percy," said his driver, "There's no such thing as ghosts."

"Tell that to Henry!" squirmed Percy as he looked ahead, into the darkness.

Suddenly, a whistle blasted.

Percy gasped as he immediately sped up, hoping to get past the ghost.

The air got colder, and the wind started to blow.

"Help! Help!" cried Percy as he raced down the tracks.

"Percy, honestly... It's just the weather," said the driver, but he was quickly proven wrong.

The ground started to shake as the same whistle blew again.

"Aahhh!" Percy screamed as he shut his eyes tightly.

Suddenly it felt as if Percy was being pushed backwards.

Percy's eyes popped open as he realized what was going on.

"Jasper?!"

Jasper scowled as he started to go faster, pushing Percy down the track.

His driver's jaw dropped as he reached for the brake handle.

But Percy couldn't stop; he was racing backwards as fast as his wheels could carry him.

And unlike with Henry, Jasper was trying to chase Percy down.

"I'll get you, you little engine," a nightmare-ish voice growled.

Percy gulped and thought of an idea.

"Maybe I'll destroy the ghost by running into it..." Percy thought nervously and he surged forward.

"Percy?!" shouted his driver.

The little green engine shut his eyes again as he started to charge at the ghost.

Jasper snickered and within in the blink of an eye, disappeared.

But Percy didn't notice as he chuffed along the line.

At last, Percy had to stop at Knapford Station.

"Percy, what in the blazes has gotten into you?"

Percy slowly opened an eye to find Dave at the other platform, looking worried.

"Oh... Hi Dave..." he stuttered.

"Percy, I safely can say that I'm quite surprised you're running around paranoid all the time. I mean no disrespect, of course, but I feel...a bit of deja vu, considering last year's escapade with James and a scrap monster."

Percy gulped.

"But this is worse! This ghost is real!"

Dave sighed.

"I'm usually open-minded, but that sounds ridiculous," he said as he rolled away, "Maybe the sun is just getting to you."

Percy looked down at his buffers, feeling a bit ashamed.

"You saw what?!"

"I saw a very scary tank engine on the Main Line... The same one Henry saw," Percy explained at Knapford Yards the next morning.

Henry gasped.

"I was right... it is real..."

Thomas gulped; it certainly seemed like it was.

Edward just blinked.

Gordon grunted.

"You smaller engines have gotten even more undignified than usual..."

"I'd like to see you go up against a ghost," Percy scowled.

"Maybe I will," snickered Gordon as he puffed away.

"I have to go too," said Henry, "I must take these decorations up to Ulfstead Castle for the party."

And Henry puffed away too.

Percy looked to Thomas.

"Thomas... you'll investigate this, won't you?"

"Of course, Percy. Maybe I can find out how this ghost behaves, and maybe we can find a way to get rid of it... I have to go, Percy. I'll see you tonight."

And Thomas steamed away to collect his coaches.

"I sure hope Thomas can face that ghost..."

Percy looked up to find Edward, still sitting there, looking quite worried.

"Edward? You alright?"

"Oh, Percy... Sorry, I am..."

"If you say so..." said Percy worriedly as he puffed away.

Edward sighed, not sure what to think now.


	3. Thomas Investigates

Later that day, Thomas was dropping off crates of pumpkins at Elsbridge so jack-o-lanterns could light up the station on Halloween night.

"Thanks, Thomas. We want to look nice for Halloween," thanked the stationmaster as some workmen began to unload the crates.

"You're welcome sir," said Thomas absentmindedly.

Toby rang his bell as he puffed in the opposite direction, at the other platform, with his "Vintage Train".

"Hello Thomas!" called Toby as he came to a stop, "Excited for the Earl's party? Everyone's talking about it."

"Indeed," agreed Henrietta, "I can't wait to see all the jack-o-lanterns lit up. An old tradition. Like me."

Thomas looked down to his buffers in thought.

 _Should I mention Jasper to Toby again? Would anyone overhear the conversation?_

Toby raised an eyebrow.

"You alright Thomas? You looked distracted."

Thomas blinked and looked at Toby.

"Oh, um... It's fine. It's just... remember what we were talking about last night?"

Toby immediately looked worried.

"That ghost that I told you about," Thomas whispered, although the coaches could still hear.

"Thomas, maybe we shouldn't-"

Before Toby could continue, Victoria spoke up.

"What ghost?!" she shrieked, "I don't want to meet one tonight! Not before Halloween!"

"Me neither," cried Elsie, "Such a scary thing to think about!"

Toby glared at Thomas.

Thomas sighed.

"I'm sorry Toby, but I had to say it. Percy saw it with the mail train, and I heard he even pushed him backwards!"

All the coaches gasped, except for Henrietta, who just rolled her eyes.

"I won't be getting any sleep tonight," cried Victoria.

Henrietta scoffed.

"Just a bunch of nonsense... You don't believe this rubbish, do you Toby?"

Toby considered.

"...perhaps."

"What?!" shouted the vintage coach.

"You remember Jeff, don't you?"

Henrietta's face turned pale.

"...y-yes."

"My point exactly," finished Toby, and he looked back at Thomas.

"I think we should be concerned by this point, right?" Thomas asked nervously.

"Precisely. We'll have to get the ghost to pass on, or at the very least stop terrorizing the engines. We have no clue who could be next..." Toby said cautiously.

Thomas gulped, hoping it wouldn't be him.

"I suppose we'll see in the morning if anything else happens..." Toby murmured as he puffed away.

Thomas couldn't help worrying even more as the shunter uncoupled him; why was Jasper being so cross to everyone? Why is he getting more and more aggressive with each sighting? It didn't make sense.

W _ell, I suppose I'll have to find out for myself._ Thomas thought, _And maybe I can set this right._

Thomas puffed into Dryaw, where the Fat Controller was waiting.

"Sir? What are you doing here?" asked Thomas worriedly.

The Fat Controller sighed.

"There's been a bit of a mishap, Thomas. Mavis dented her cowcatcher from a rock on the line near the quarry Now she has to go to the Dieselworks... So I'm sending you to collect a train of stone and take it to Brendam Docks. It's an urgent order."

"What about my branch line, sir?" Thomas persisted; he didn't really like leaving his branch line unless he had to.

"Well, you're not going to leave it, exactly. When you're finished with the run to Brendam, I already sent Flora to take Mavis' place until she's repaired. So you'll go back to your regular trains."

"That's a bit of a relief..." Thomas said quietly.

And the Fat Controller walked back into the station building.

Thomas was a little confused, but suddenly got an idea.

 _Maybe I can take advantage of this..._

So the tank engine slowly reversed to the quarry.

At Ffarquhar Quarry, Mavis was in despair as she was lowered onto a flatbed by Rocky, for Neville to take to Vicarstown.

"I like seeing the sights of Sodor, but it feels strange to leave the quarry for an extended amount of time..." she said sadly.

"Don't worry, Mavis. I'll look after your quarry like it was my very own," promised Flora.

Mavis looked down and smiled warmly.

"Thank you, Flora. That does make me feel a bit better."

"Where's Neville?" asked Thomas as he puffed in.

"Oh! Thomas, you're here! Thank goodness; Flora has more trucks to shunt, so you must take that-"

"I know, Mavis. The Fat Controller told me already. No need to be so jumpy." Thomas comforted.

Mavis sighed.

"I know... it's just..."

The Diesel broke off, not quite sure how to put her thoughts into words.

Suddenly Thomas remembered his idea.

He puffed up to the flatbed with the Diesel locomotive on it.

"Mavis? Can I talk to you?" he asked.

"Of course, Thomas."

"Mavis," Thomas whispered, "I heard that you were scared of some sort of... ghost man who burnt things?"

Mavis went even quieter than she already was, surprised by Thomas' sudden change in topic.

"Um... yes... What about it?" she said uneasily.

"How exactly did you get rid of the ghost?" Thomas asked.

Mavis couldn't help but slightly smile, comforted that the "Burning Man" wasn't actually real.

"Oh Thomas, it wasn't a real ghost... It was just an old tale that Salty told me..." she chuckled.

"Oh... I see." Thomas said, but then he put two and two together.

"Salty?!"

"Well, of course! Are you really that surprised? He told you all the 'Flatbeds of Fear'." Mavis said.

She paused, thinking about what her friend had said.

"Why do you even want to rid of a ghost, Thomas?"

"I remember, but it was sort of obvious that story was fake. But this ghost is real. Edward told us about it, and now Henry and Percy saw it during their night runs." Thomas explained.

Mavis paled.

"...um...that's...disturbing..."

"I know," Thomas continued, "That's why I'm trying to find the key to get rid of this thing."

"What in the world are you talking about?" burst out Flora.

Thomas and Mavis looked to find Flora with a perplexed expression.

"Um... nothing." Mavis said quickly.

"Indeed... nothing." Thomas agreed.

An awkward silence fell.

Luckily, it was saved when Neville rolled in.

"Hello Mavis. Sorry I was held up for so long. Some level crossing incident meant I had to wait. Luckily it was nothing serious." Neville said sheepishly as the coupling was fastened.

Mavis said nothing as Neville puffed away; she didn't feel like talking. She was too startled by the conversation she just had with Thomas.

"Um... Thomas?"

Thomas looked to his left to find Flora looking slightly less worried.

"Oh. Hello Flora. Is...there something I'm missing?"

"Well...those trucks of quarry stone for a start." Flora said, wincing.

Thomas gasped.

"Cinders and ashes! Thank you for reminding me, Flora!"

Thomas was quickly coupled up and raced off to Brendam Docks, to talk to Salty.

At Brendam, Salty was busier then ever, sorting the deliveries for the engines to collect.

"Another shipment of decorations for Ulfstead Castle, Salty," said Cranky as he lowered a crate.

"Argh, so many of these crates coming in," Salty sighed, "I need more trucks, Porter."

"I have to shunt these coaches for Edward, first," Porter grunted as he was coupled up to them.

Salty groaned.

"There's too much work, mateys!"

"And top of all this, there's that quarry stone from Ffarquhar." Cranky scowled, "Lifting and loading... Loading and lifting..."

"Is that your new catchphrase?" asked Porter.

"...no."

Thomas puffed in with his stone, panting.

"Here I am!" he exclaimed.

Porter and Salty looked up.

"Thank goodness. We were wondering when you'd show up, Thomas," said Porter.

Thomas sighed.

"Sorry. There was a sudden change in schedule."

Salty chuckled.

"Oh, it's fine matey."

"Salty, we need to have a serious chat." Thomas continued as he was uncoupled from the trucks.

The trucks giggled for really no reason other than to be annoying.

Cranky raised an eyebrow.

"What for...?"

Thomas looked up.

"Oh... Well, since you all can hear anyway, I guess I'll tell all of you."

"Go on," urged Porter.

Thomas wasn't sure how to say his thoughts.

"Well... Most of the stories told at this time of year are told by you. Am I correct, Salty?"

"Uh...affirmative." replied Salty in a confused manner.

"Well, that does mean you know how to get rid of a ghost...right?" Thomas asked.

Porter groaned.

"Not ghosts again... It's bad enough Donald and Douglas were scared of The Loch Ness Monster..."

Cranky grunted.

"I'm with Porter on this one...surprisingly. Ghosts are nonsense, just like everything else Salty makes up."

"I do not make all these stories up, me hearties!" retorted Salty indignantly, "I'm a very trustworthy Diesel."

"So do you know how to get rid of the ghost?" asked Thomas hopefully.

"Why do you want to get rid a ghost?" Porter said, "There's no ghost around here."

Thomas sighed.

"I'm afraid there is, Porter. One Edward told us about that burned alive in an explosion. Apparently he's come back for a revenge plan of some sort; we don't know yet. But he attacked Henry and Percy in the last few days, and nobody knows who can be next. His name is Jasper."

Salty gulped.

Cranky looked a bit nervous, and Porter held a blank expression.

"I'm not so sure about that..."

Thomas ignored him and looked at the Dockside Diesel, hoping for an answer.

"Well..."

"Do you know _anything_ about this, Salty?" Thomas cried, who was getting a bit impatient.

Salty finally came up with an answer.

"Argh, I'm sad to say.. no. It's a mystery..."

"But you tell stories all the time!" Thomas said, "I have to stop this ghost in its tracks!"

"Did you seriously just make that pun?" Cranky huffed.

"...maybe."

"Well Thomas, I may know a bit about ghosts, but I have no clue how to stop one." Salty said sadly.

Thomas' face fell.

"But...I think I do know who can..." Salty grinned.

"Who?" asked Thomas.

"Arthur..."

"Arthur?"

"Yes. He stopped a ghost on his branch line a while ago," Salty said thoughtfully.

"Oh yes..." said Porter.

Thomas smiled.

"Finally, someone who can actually help! Though you and Mavis were helpful... Of course."

Salty chuckled.

"Argh, good luck to you matey. Keep Sodor safe from those ghosts."

"Right! I'll just...have to wait until I can pull The Local again." Thomas said as he started to puff away.

"Bye Thomas! If the ghost is real, which it probably isn't, I still wish you luck anyway." Porter said politely.

Thomas giggled as he steamed out of sight.

"...buzzkill..." muttered Salty.

Cranky rolled his eyes

"You're all lucky I stopped talking to listen to how stupid you are."

"I suppose we are," teased Porter.

"Oh quiet down there! I can hit you with this crate if I wanted to!" Cranky scowled.

Salty and Porter shared a laugh.

Cranky growled with impatience.

"Okay, serious question: Do you seriously believe him, Salty?"

Salty grew serious.

"There be many mysteries about this island, Cranky... This ghost just happens to be one of them."

"I honestly don't believe that," murmured Porter, "But I can be wrong sometimes."

Edward puffed in to collect his coaches, and had overheard a good chunk of the conversation.

He sighed, looking ahead, collecting more of his thoughts.

"That ghost won't stop until he gets what he wants..."


	4. Gordon and Jasper

That night, at Tidmouth Sheds, Gordon was getting ready to set out with the midnight express.

"Aren't you scared of the ghost, Gordon?" asked Henry worriedly.

Gordon exhaled.

"Henry, honestly... You worry to the point where it gets silly. Stop it."

"Oh..."

"I think Henry has a point, Gordon," said Emily, "This 'ghost' has been getting more and more sightings."

"What, did _you_ see it?" Gordon asked pompously.

"Well... no... But Toby told me about it at Knapford."

"Listen, Toby can be respectable but that's just stupid," Gordon sniffed.

"I don't know..." Emily said worriedly.

Gordon sighed and puffed off to collect the Express from the station to take to Barrow-in-Furness.

At Tidmouth Station, Rosie had already shunted the coaches for him and was alraedy beside them as Gordon backed down onto them.

"Well done, Rosie," Gordon said, mildly impressed, "You were actually early. I applaud that."

"Thanks Gordon," said Rosie, "Though I wouldn't stay excited for long. There's a bit of a mist out tonight."

"So?" Gordon grunted, "I have my two lamps. What more do you want?"

"Well... to be careful, for a start. There are those rumors of ghosts going on..." Rosie said quietly.

"Ugh, I've had enough of this! I'm sick and tired of hearing these assumptions that the supernatural exists!" Gordon said in a huff.

"But-"

"No buts, Rosie! It's a disgrace to Sodor, that some of us believe in such nonsense. Now go and shunt some more things." Gordon scowled.

Rosie flinched; Gordon was clearly in a very bad mood, and oddly enough it wasn't because of something teasing him or trucks.

"...well...if you say so, Gordon. But don't say I didn't warn you." Rosie said cautiously as she reversed back to the yard.

Gordon groaned in fury.

"Rosie may have a point, Gordon." said an elderly voice.

Gordon looked over to find Jason at the other platform, waiting to depart with a train of fruit to take to market in the morning.

"And what would you know, Jason...?" Gordon scoffed.

"Well, I was there..."

"...oh...uh..."

"And to be honest, so were you. Don't you remember?" Jason asked tensely.

"...no. I remember being repainted blue, meeting Thomas, meeting everyone else, Robert's 'funeral', sort of speak, and my first express run. But not the news of an engine exploding..." Gordon said awkwardly.

"Well, clearly your memory isn't as good as you think it is," replied Jason.

Gordon's guard blew his whistle and got into the brake coach.

"Oh! Sorry my dear Jason, but I have an express train to pull. Sorry I can't talk historian today!" and Gordon slowly steamed out of the station, despite picking up speed.

Jason sighed sadly.

"Oh dear..."

Gordon was soon thundering along the Main Line, hoping to get to Barrow-in-Furness on time.

"Gosh, I don't understand the silliness of everyone today. First Edward, then Henry, then Percy, then Thomas, now Toby and Emily! Who the heck is next?!"

"Why do you care, Gordon? It isn't your problem," the driver said promptly.

"I suppose not but it's difficult being surrounded by engines who don't know what they're talking about... I'm the only one making sense anymore." Gordon said proudly.

In a siding, two eyes glared as Gordon puffed past.

"I mean, it's reckless behavior, rushing down the Main Line backwards! What if another train was coming through?!" Gordon ranted, "I need my Main Line to run smoothly..."

"This isn't even your line," The driver retorted.

"So...it's not Henry's, either."

The driver sighed as Gordon began ranting about how the Main Line "needed improvements".

On another siding nearby, the same two eyes glowed in the night as the entity disappeared.

A while later, Gordon was approaching Kellsthorpe Road. Since he didn't have to stop, Gordon didn't really pay attention to the station.

"See, driver? No ghosts here. And we're almost at Crovan's Gate now!" Gordon grinned, thinking he was right.

Before his driver could protest, a chilling blast of a whistle blew in the distance.

Gordon blinked; he didn't recognize that whistle.

 _Maybe it's Henry with the Flying Kipper..._

But as he looked ahead, he could see no engine at all.

Gordon frowned; something wasn't right, but he couldn't figure out what.

"Is Henry playing a trick on me?" he said aloud.

"Henry isn't one for tricks, Gordon," replied the driver nervously; he had the heard the whistle too.

"What do you think it is?" asked the fireman.

"Percy and Henry's crews saw the ghost too, you know. They were traumatized by the whole thing..."

"I see why you're worried then," said the fireman grimly.

Gordon scoffed.

"You worry too much, you two. Nothing is going wrong-"

Before Gordon could finish his pompous statement, another whistle blew, and this time it was closer.

And the sounds of wheels pounding the rails shook the ground.

Gordon gulped; now he knew for sure it wasn't Henry.

"What's going on?" Gordon cried as he slowed down, not sure what to do now.

A little laugh could be heard.

Gordon's face went pale as he came to a halt.

"What are you doing Gordon? Get moving!" cried the driver.

"You-you don't understand... Th-there's something out there..." Gordon said worriedly.

"Express coming through!" a creepy voice shouted as the engine blew his whistle again.

"Aaah!" Gordon screamed as the ghost engine suddenly appeared in front of him, "It's Jasper!"

"How'd you guess?" the engine snickered as it disappeared again.

Gordon shut his eyes as he raced off into the distance.

"Get away! Stop!" he groaned as he passed a signalbox.

"No." came a simple yet angry reply as the engine appeared again, ramming into Gordon, like with Percy.

"Ghosts aren't real, ghosts aren't real," Gordon tried to tell himself, but as soon as he opened his eyes, he saw the dark eyes of Jasper staring into him.

"They are real! Noooo!" Gordon shouted as he surged forward.

Jasper disappeared again, but quickly reappeared alongside the Express train, going as fast as he was.

Gordon gasped and screamed again as he outran the ghost engine.

The ghost engine smirked as he came to a halt.

"I'll get what I've been deserving all these years... Soon..."

And the engine disappeared into the night.

At Crovan's Gate, Mighty was yawning as the Double Fairlie puffed into the station.

"Where's Gordon, Mac? Do you see him?" he asked.

Mac squinted as he looked down the standard gauge line.

"Doesn't seem like it, Mighty."

"Darn," sighed Mighty, "I don't want to sit here all night."

Gordon's whistle boomed as he raced into the station, his eyes wide with panic and his face pale.

Mac rose an eyebrow as Gordon came to a halt reluctantly.

"Here I am," he panted quietly, "Don't mess with ghosts..."

"...uh...okay..." said Mac awkwardly.

"What's wrong, Gordon? You're jumpy, pale, and all sorts of confusing," Mighty said in confusion.

"You don't understand, Mighty Mac! Jasper's out to get me! He's going to destroy me! Hide me!" Gordon cried.

Mighty blinked.

Mac snickered.

"Well, you should sign up to be a comedian, Gordon. You're hilarious!"

"I'm serious!" Gordon continued, "Jasper is real! Ghosts are real! It's all real! How have I not seen it before?!"

"Wait, did you say 'Jasper'?" asked Mighty suddenly.

"...yes, why?" Gordon asked.

"I think Rusty told us about some ghost like that. He said Percy told him while dropping off the Crovan's Gate mail," Mighty said.

"So... it is real?" the other half asked indignantly.

"It's possible, Mac. Keep an open mind."

Mac rolled his eyes as Gordon started off for Barrow-in-Furness.

The next morning, Thomas puffed into Knapford Yards to collect Annie and Clarabel for The Local.

Everywhere he looked, engines were talking about Jasper.

"Did you hear the news, Hank?" asked Paxton.

"Righto. Everyone has, Pax. That 'Jasper' sounds terrifying..."

"So Jasper just popped in front of Gordon? Just like that?" gasped BoCo.

"I'm afraid so, BoCo. It was quite mysterious, when Gordon told us last night," Duck replied.

Rosie shivered.

"That sounds awful!"

"Somethin' mighty strange is going on, Douggie..."

"Aye, Donald." agreed Douglas, "If only we knew what it was..."

"So it's true after all! And he didn't believe me!" cried Henry as he rolled past with a goods run, returning trucks from Ulfstead Castle.

Thomas was worried as he found Annie and Clarabel in a siding.

"Thomas, you're here!" Annie said joyfully, "It's time!"

"I know, Annie... But I'm worried about Jasper."

Annie and Clarabel groaned.

"Thomas, honestly... It's just some railway gossip..." Clarabel sniffed.

"I'm not so sure, you two. We better have a chat with someone," Thomas said, "Someone who can help stop this ghost before it's too late..."

"Who?" chorused the coaches.

"...Arthur..."


	5. Jasper is Coming

As Thomas pulled out of the yard towards the station, Annie and Clarabel looked to each other in confusion.

"Arthur? Why him?" Clarabel asked.

"Indeed. I don't see the connection, Thomas." Annie agreed.

Thomas sighed with exasperation.

"Arthur helped stop a ghost on his branch line; word got around pretty quickly. I think he can help."

"How?" Clarabel said.

"By giving advice, of course."

"I'm not sure if Arthur's the kind to give advice, Thomas..."

"He has to, in this case," Thomas said grimly as he puffed away.

At Ulfstead Castle, the Earl smiled proudly as he looked at all the decorations.

"Boo!"

Sir Robert Norramby gasped and turned around.

Then he chuckled.

"Stephen, you scared me!"

Stephen grinned through his costume.

"Sorry sir, but I just wanted to try out my costume for the celebration tomorrow. How do I look?"

"Perfect. You look like a ghost!" the Earl grinned, "I better check on Millie. No idea what she's up to right now."

So Sir Robert walked back into the castle.

Stephen felt excited; it was the first time he'd been a ghost engine, and he was looking forward to it.

A whistle blew nearby.

Stephen looked up to find Molly puffing up with a train of coal for the furnaces.

"Hello, Molly. Thanks for the coal," Stephen said warmly as the female engine came to a halt.

Then he noticed her worried expression.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh... Well, I'm sort of worried about things..." Molly said weakly.

"Why?"

Molly looked very scared.

"W-well, I don't want to anger th-the ghost...but...there's a ghost around here...it almost got a few engines..."

Stephen blinked.

"...are you sure?"

"Yes!" Molly shouted, "I wouldn't lie about this!"

The old engine frowned; something was odd about what Molly was saying, but he decided not to question it; there were more important things to worry about.

"I'll see you later, Molly! I have to help the Earl!" called Stephen as he reversed into the castle.

Molly sighed, knowing he didn't believe her.

Later, Thomas puffed into Crovan's Gate, smiling as he noticed Arthur shunting in the yard.

"Arthur! It's been a while!" the tank engine called.

Arthur looked up and grinned

"Thomas! How's the branch line?"

"It's fine, but we've been having some...issues lately." Thomas replied.

"Like what?" Arthur asked.

"There's...been a ghost on the Main Line... And well... you dealt with one once, right?"

Arthur frowned, remembering when he stood up to a ghost at The Fishing Village.

"Well...yes... Do you need my help?"

"Oh, yes please," Thomas said, "How did you defeat that ghost?"

Arthur chuckled softly.

"Oh Thomas, I didn't defeat it...I just...sort of talked to it and it calmed down. I think it moved on since it stopped appearing."

"That's it?" Thomas asked in confusion.

"You can't exactly fight something you can't touch," Arthur smirked.

"...oh...right..."

"*ahem*"

Thomas and Arthur looked over to find Rheneas puffing into the station with his connection with Thomas.

"If you don't mind me saying so, I have to ask what...this 'ghost' is?" Rheneas asked.

"He was a ghost engine from one of Edward's stories. He's been acting up recently, terrorizing the engines," explained Thomas.

"Oh," said Rheneas gravely, "Are you sure you can talk to a supernatural being and expect it to respond peacefully?"

"It worked for me," Arthur said, "Though not all ghosts are created equal, it seems."

"I can try," Thomas replied confidently, though he didn't feel very confident; what exactly was he even up against?

"Well, I wish you the best of luck, Thomas," Arthur replied as he puffed away, to his branch line.

"As do I. But I must be going too, Thomas," whistled Rheneas as his guard blew his whistle, "Don't get into trouble, you hear?"

And Rheneas puffed away.

Thomas gulped.

"Something wrong, Thomas?" asked Annie consolingly.

Thomas sighed.

"No, it's just... How am I supposed to stand up to a ghost? I'm not an engine who always knows exactly what to say..."

"Don't we know!" needled Clarabel, "I think you're just worrying too much, Thomas. Maybe this is all some Halloween hoax."

"If it is, it's a very complicated one," Thomas huffed as he puffed off to Barrow.

The next evening, at Ulfstead Castle, Stephen sighed as he looked out into the twilight sky.

"You alright, Stephen?"

Stephen looked down to find Millie in her ghost costume, all set for the Earl's Halloween party.

"Oh, I think I'm alright Millie...it's just...something is rather troubling..."

"What is it?" asked the French engine.

"You don't need to worry; I'm sure it's nothing. Now go and entertain the seven families who showed up a couple hours earlier than usual."

Millie grinned.

"Right Stephen!"

And she reversed back into the castle.

But as soon as Millie had left, Stephen turned serious again.

"Something is wrong... I'm sure Millie can keep them entertained long enough for me to investigate..."

He slowly started to puff off, into the twilight, as he sensed a hint of danger.

A whistle blasted, and Stephen gasped.

"That isn't Connor or Caitlin coming... Something else is..."

Soon, Stephen was out on the estate, out of the castle's earshot.

"Hello? Is anybody there?" he shouted, hoping that whoever was there to come out.

Instead, the ground began to shake, and a shadow appeared on a castle wall.

Stephen grunted as the shadow disappeared and the ground stopped shaking.

"...it's coming..."

At Tidmouth Sheds, Thomas puffed into his berth, feeling worried; the Earl's party was an exciting time but he just didn't feel excited.

"Why the long face, Thomas?" asked Emily, "Shouldn't you be happy? You love the Earl's events!"

Thomas sighed.

"It's not about the party... It's about Jasper... I'm going to stand up to him..."

All the engines gasped and stared; everyone knew how dangerous Jasper could be.

"B-but Thomas! A big engine like me couldn't handle him! How could a small engine like you possibly do so?!" burst out Gordon.

"Because I need to. It almost got four of my friends, and may scare more unless I do something. He's getting worse, and who really knows what he's truly capable of?" Thomas explained.

The engines fell silent... all except for Edward.

"Thomas, you really... shouldn't do that," he cautioned.

The engines all turned to him; Edward hadn't spoken much since he revealed the ghost story, and it was surprising to see him talk again.

"Why?" Thomas asked worriedly.

"As you said... we don't know what that...thing is capable of," Edward said, "I think...I should go and confront him."

"Nonsense, Edward!" retorted Thomas, "I can talk to engines... Just as long as they listen..."

Edward sighed.

"Alright, Thomas... If you say so..."

Thomas whistled and started to puff away.

"You all head off for Ulfstead; I'll search the Main Line."

Edward looked down at his buffers.

"...he's going to come back...tonight..." he sighed.


	6. Jasper Moves On

Soon, some of the engines were at Ulfstead Castle, waiting for the party to begin.

But they were all concerned about Thomas.

"Do you think he'll be alright?" asked Percy in a shaky voice.

"I'm confident he knows what he's doing," replied Emily.

"Even so, Emily," continued Henry, "It doesn't feel right, leaving him behind while we all party..."

The other engines looked to each other.

"Well, we'll have to wait and see then," James finally said, "I agree with Emily. Thomas wouldn't have done it if he wasn't sure."

Percy sighed; he hoped his friend would be alright.

Out on the Main Line, Thomas slowly puffed along the rails.

"Jasper? Jasper?" the E2 shouted, but in return, all that occurred was a short blast of a whistle.

Thomas knit his brows.

"He's here!"

He looked forward, squinting to find a ghost anywhere.

Suddenly he heard slow, frequent puffs.

"That's not a night train... It's Jasper! Where is he?!" Thomas said quietly as he came to a halt.

"I'm over here, heading to Ulfstead Castle to find him!" called a haunting voice.

Thomas gasped as he noticed the shadow of a tank engine on the line.

"Jasper!"

"Who did you expect?" scowled Jasper and he raced away.

Thomas whistled impatiently as he started to steam off, following the ghost.

"But why Ulfstead Castle?!" cried Thomas as he struggled to catch up to Jasper.

"Because then I'll find him for sure. I'll have my revenge if it's the last thing I'll do!"

And Jasper sped up as he rounded a bend.

Thomas tried to go faster, but it was hard, considering Jasper was a ghost.

"Jaaasppeeer!" Thomas shouted as he went even faster.

Jasper snickered as he disappeared and reappeared right in front of Thomas.

"Just try and catch me!" he taunted as he suddenly appeared behind a junction.

Suddenly another whistle blasted, and for once it wasn't Jasper.

Thomas looked to find Murdoch coming towards the junction with the Flying Kipper for Henry.

He desperately looked up to find a signal up ahead turning red.

"Express coming through!" the tank engine shouted to a signalbox.

The signalman inside immediately looked up and pulled a lever, setting the points for Thomas.

Murdoch gasped as he saw a blue blur rushing by.

Thomas cleared the junction, just in time.

The points were immediately switched back, and Murdoch raced onto the junction.

"Thomas!" he scowled, but Thomas didn't have any time to apologize; he was racing after Jasper again.

"Oh dear blue engine, I don't have time for this. Just leave me alone!"

The ghost's eyes turned neon red as it suddenly reappeared on a road bridge that ran over the track.

"How are you doing that?!" Thomas cried.

"I'm a ghost, you imbecile." Jasper scowled.

But Bertie was driving along the bridge, half-awake when he saw the transparent tank engine on the road.

"What the-!" he cried as he suddenly braked.

Jasper grinned evilly and disappeared suddenly.

Bertie was confused.

"What happened?"

"Sorry Bertie! I'll explain later!" Thomas exclaimed as he raced off into the distance.

"Thomas...?"

Thomas raced along the Main Line, pursing Jasper.

Soon, they approached Maron Station.

Molly was there dropping off some coal, yawning, as Jasper raced by.

Her eyes shot open and immediately she was afraid.

"It's the ghost! It came to get me for telling Stephen! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!"

Then a blue blur puffed by.

"Thomas?" asked Molly in astonishment.

Jasper rolled along the line, onto the Ulfstead Branch Line.

Thomas quickly followed him, struggling to catch up.

"I won't let you hurt my friends, you demon!" Thomas said passionately.

Jasper's eye's glowed a dark red as it randomly turned around to face Thomas.

"Friends? Sure, because you deserve friends, don't you?"

And the engine turned around again.

Thomas was surprised; he didn't understand anything that was going on. But right now that didn't matter; he just wanted to help his friends.

"You won't get away with this!" he shouted as he steamed away.

Meanwhile, at Ulfstead Castle, Sir Robert Norramby smiled as he admired some jack-o-lanterns.

"Uh... sir?"

"Yes?" the Earl asked as he turned around to face a workman.

"Well, I'm pretty confused. You've been staring at those pumpkins for about an hour..."

"But that's because they're orange, dear lad!" the Earl exclaimed.

"Um...that's stupid."

"Why?"

"Because you can't obsess over things just because of really trivial reasons." the workman said flatly.

Duck and Rosie, who were nearby, shot a confused look at one another.

"You can't?!" they said in unison.

Percy grinned as a couple fireworks blasted in the sky.

"These are wonderful!"

"Right...wonderful..." sighed Edward.

Percy looked over to his old friend and frowned.

"Edward, you haven't been yourself lately, and I think it's high time someone told you. You've been uncharacteristically quiet..."

Edward let out a big puff, collecting his thoughts; he wasn't entirely sure how to tell Percy his feelings without scarring him. After all, he was still a young engine.

Just then, a loud cackle was heard in the distance.

"...what was that?" squeaked Paxton.

The Earl blinked.

"Well, I certainly did not expect this."

Stephen and Millie gasped as Jasper puffed in, scowling at everyone.

"What on Sodor...?" Stephen whispered.

Millie's boiler ran cold.

"Stephen...what is that...?" she asked in a shaky voice.

"...it's a ghost engine, Millie..." said Stephen solemnly.

Millie's face paled as Jasper started to float up into the air.

People turned around in awe and astonishment at the sight.

"What's he doing?" gasped Rosie quietly.

Jasper looked down to the engines, his eyes getting redder and redder.

"I will find who destroyed me, and who caused me all this misery for all these years!"

"What's he talking about?" asked Paxton.

"Search me," replied Duck.

"Why are you so angry?" asked Rosie bravely.

The engines gasped and looked at the pink tank engine.

Jasper, for a fraction of a second, felt a terrible sadness.

"Well... If you really want to know, you pink locomotive with annoying freckles, there's more to this story than you know... While I was delivering those blasted gunpowder wagons, this... engine whistled at me. It distracted me for a second, and I braked, thinking something was wrong... I also had to refuel but that's not important to you louts..."

The engines winced.

"...sparks flew from my brakes, and you know what happens when fire meets gunpowder...?"

Rosie gulped.

"...um..."

" **You explode into pieces of scrap metal**!" Jasper screamed, getting angrier and angrier by the second, "I was forgotten about! Left to rust! And now, I'm back to find that despicable excuse for a piece of machinery to get what he **deserves**!"

The booming nature of Jasper frightened all the engines, especially Rosie and Paxton.

Just then, a loud "Peep, peep!" rang out.

"Thomas?" Gordon gasped, and it was.

Tired but triumphant, the blue tank engine came to a halt.

His cheeks were bright red, and he let off a sad wheesh of steam.

Jasper looked back and growled.

"I told you to get out of my way! But that's not a surprise, is it?"

"W-what do you mean?" stuttered Thomas.

"Well, let's see. You never listen to anything anyone says, and you never care about anyone but yourself, you egotistical lout!"

Thomas winced and slowly reversed.

"That's right, run away. You're too wimpy to be the one to destroy me."

"Leave. Him. Alone."

Thomas was shocked; the engine speaking was... Edward!

Jasper scowled as he turned to the blue engine.

"How the heck is this your business you disgrace?!"

Edward slowly puffed up to Jasper, himself getting angry.

"Tell me, Jasper... How am _I_ the disgrace when I don't take pointless anger out on my friends...? And also, tell me... How am I a disgrace when I know what's right and don't jump to petty conclusions like yours...?"

Jasper blinked; Edward was actually pretty intimidating.

"Yes, an engine blew his whistle...but think for one second in your afterlife! Did that engine do it on purpose? No! He had no clue what you were doing, and you were being very reckless anyway!" the blue engine roared.

The other engines' jaws dropped.

Edward sighed as his eyes welled with tears.

"All these years I thought I myself was the cause of all this, thinking that I should've warned you further. I thought that it was all my fault that you are no longer with us, but... it's not my fault. It's not that engine's fault. It's not even your fault. It was a thing called an **accident**. Accidents happen, Jasper...some not so bad...and others...not so much..."

"W-what would you know!?" Jasper said crossly, though he was starting to feel a bit guilty.

Edward looked up at the ghost engine, more determined than ever.

"It's been many years since your fatal accident happened... It's time to move on... For my friends' sake as well as yours... Wouldn't you like to do..more important things than letting out your anger on those that...don't deserve it?"

The castle fell into silence.

All the engines looked at each other, shocked and amazed.

"...wow," whispered Henry.

Jasper was distraught; all confidence he had was now gone as he lowered himself down onto the track.

Small tears started to fall as his eyes turned back to normal.

"A-a-all this time... I-I w-was be-being..."

"It's...alright, Jasper... It's better late than never... Do you finally feel the need to move on...?"

"...yes...I'm...very sorry everyone from the blue tank engine to anyone else I spooked... I was...petty at best..."

Edward gave a small smile.

"Then you know what you have to do."

Jasper sighed as he blew his whistle for the last time, fading out.

The last thing he ever said was a quiet "I'm so sorry..."

As soon as Jasper was gone, everyone was shocked...except Sir Robert Norramby, who was clapping like mad.

"Oh, hurrah! What a brilliant show, Thomas and Edward! Brilliant show! I can't believe you made that great effect and pulled it off so well! What a perfect addition for this grand festival! Come on everyone, let's go bob for apples!"

And the Earl ran back into the castle.

"...uh...should someone tell him...?" asked Paxton.

"No, let him have his fun," replied Hank, "He doesn't get to do this a lot."

Just then, Connor arrived with some last-minute guests for the Earl's Halloween party.

"Hello everyone! Have I missed anything?"

"Uh... you could say you did..." said Duck.

Thomas was surprised as he slowly puffed up to Edward.

"Edward... That was... amazing! I didn't know you could do that!"

Edward grinned.

"Neither can I, in all honesty. I got rid of something that's been plaguing me for years..."

He then sighed.

"I just wish the same didn't have to happen to Jasper... The terror of what happened must've been too much for him..."

"Hey, you did the best you could, Edward," replied Thomas, "And besides, he's at peace now. I'm sure he'll be fine."

Edward looked up at his old friend, and smiled.

"Thanks Thomas. Let's enjoy the party while we still can, everyone."

The engines whistled and blew their horns as the party resumed.

Far above in the sky, Jasper looked down at the island he used to call home.

"...goodbye...thank you..."

And Jasper disappeared for the last time.


End file.
